Aussie musician Kate Miller-Heidke rose to fame in 2008 with her scathing song/rant about Facebook entitled, “Are you Fucking Kidding Me.” It’s received nearly 1, 000, 000 views on YouTube and essentially makes fun of some douche-bag trying to add her as a friend. Lyrics like, “I don’t want to know what kind of cocktail you are or which member of the Beatles, which 1950’s movie star…” incite laughter from audiences, especially because Heidke’s vocals are so folksy-pretty. Although the most viral, this is just a snippet of Heidke’s talents. Her 2008 album Curiouser dominated the Top 10 on the iTunes album chart for two months and spent two weeks at #1 and she was recently in town playing at Lilth Fair.

We met Heidke at The Drake Café just in time for when the organic truck guzzled through emitting that lovely smell of rotting veggies and chicken juice. Garbed in a floral frock from Kensington market and pinkish braids, the humble but candid songstress shared with us why tweeting is like wanking, toilet manners for married couples and her love for Oliver Twist.

SDTC: How would you describe your music?
KMH: Theatrical, experimental pop music with a sense of fun and a sense of heart. (Think Adam Sandler mixed with Jewel.)

SDTC: Is that also how you’d describe your marriage? (Heidke’s hubby, Keir Nuttall, is the other half of the band.)
KMH: Yeah, I guess so. But experimental? I’m not sure if I can use that word.

SDTC: You’ve been married for just two years and work together constantly. How do you not want to strangle one another?
KMH: Umm, I think we just have an uncanny compatibility, and that was a fluke. It’s funny-it sometimes seems like we are the same person. It’s definitely a band, what we do. Each of us are equally invested in it. If I got a bad review, he would be hurt. That’s great for me, because it’s less lonely. It can be a really lonely journey as a solo artist. I think you can feel quite friendless at times – it’s good to have that support.

SDTC: Got any tips for the rest of us who find it difficult to separate domestic bliss, lust and work with our significant others?
KMH: Make sure you shut the toilet door if you are going to take a shit. (Sound advice ladies!)

SDTC: Your song, “Are You Fucking Kidding Me?” was a viral maniac on Twitter and Facebook. You slag social media in your song, but are you secretly addicted? What are your true feelings towards the twittershpere?
KMH: I’m only on Twitter because I’m a musician. In fact it is detrimental to my sanity. It leads down a steep slope to self-obsession and vanity. It’s like wanking. You follow these random people and you end up wasting hours of your life following these fruitless silly things, it’s sort of like watching crappy television. (So, follow @kmillerheidke, but don’t share with her why you prefer linguini to gnocchi or that you are busy being bored.)

SDTC: Do you watch ANY shitty TV?
KMH: No. (Err….guess we won’t tell her how we tweet while watching Jersey Shore and The Bachelor.)

SDTC: On the cover of Curiousness you kinda look like Lady Gaga meets Marie Antoinette. How would you describe your personal style?
KMH: I don’t feel very stylish. I just do the best with what I have. My body is not too good. If I wasn’t a musician, I’d just be wearing jeans and a t-shirt every day.
(We disagree but are somewhat charmed by her apathy towards fashion and body image.)

SDTC: As a child were you into drama?
KMH: I always loved musical theatre. I was in a children’s chorus – I did Oliver twice.

SDTC: Were you Oliver? (Please Sir…a penny.)
KMH: No, I wasn’t. I would have shat my pants if I did get to be Oliver.

SDTC: Did Oliver inspire you to be a musician?
KMH: The music of Joni Mitchell is what turned me into a musician. Before that I loved Julie Andrews in Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Annie and Oliver.

SDTC: Do you think Canadians are like Aussies?
KMH: Yeah, I found that Canadians love beer like we do.

SDTC: Beyond our mutual love for a tall can, have you discovered anything else in Toronto?
KMH: Actually, yesterday was great. We had brunch in Kensington Market. We were hungover but it was one of those hangovers that makes you feel reborn again. Then we went to the AGO. The night before, we did Karaoke at Bloor and Christie….and everything in the book, including the Korean songs.

SDTC: If you weren’t a rad musician, what would you want to be?
KMH: I’d like to be a librarian…work in silence. Silence is important.

So, pretty much, Kate Miller-Heidke is exactly what we look for in a best friend: irreverent, honest, down-to-earth and creative.

Check her out on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke